Baseball practicing apparatus



March 31, 1953 L. w. SALMI 2,633,320

BASEBALL PRACTICING APPARATUS Filed March 23, 1949 I INVENTOR. 5 50 an 6mm. MN

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Patented Mar. 31, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BASEBALL PRACTICING APPARATUS Leo W. Saimi, Detroit, Mich.

Application March 23, 1949, Serial No. 83,089

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to baseball practicing apparatus the object being to provide a device which includes a standard and an element having a baseball at one end thereof and a counterbalancing weight at the other end and pivoted between the said ends to turn on a vertical axis and also turnable on a horizontal axis.

The preferred form of the device is shown in the accompanying drawing in which- Fig. 1 is a plan view of the device.

Fig. 2 is an elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig .2.

In use of the device the batter will stand at the left side of the device as shown in Fig. 1. An attendant throws the ball by one hand in the direction indicated by the arrows and the batter stands at the opposite side of the device and attempts to strike the ball with a bat. If the bat strikes the ball on its axis the ball will whirl in the opposite direction from that indicated by the arrows. If the batter strikes the ball below the center the ball and arm thereon will take the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, or if he strikes the ball above its axis, the ball will be deflected downwardly. Therefore the batter is taught to strike the call on its axis.

The device comprises a base I on which is a vertical standard 2 and on the upper end of the standard is a cap 9. The upper end 4 of the cap has an aperture and a bolt 5 has a head within the cap and extends through the aperture as shown in Fig. 3. Rotatable on the bolt 5 is a rectangular element having side and end walls 6 and 1 as shown in Fig. 3 and a rod 8 has a U-shaped portion 9a secured to one side of the rectangular element by clips [0. On one end of the rod 8 is a ball 9 secured in position thereon as by means of nuts and washers II and I2 as shown in Fig. 2. On the opposite end of the rod is a weight l3 at such distance from the axis of the standard 2 that the weight of the ball normally holds the rod 8 in a horizontal plane as indicated in full lines in Fig. 2. The base I is preferably provided with a number of projections l6 about its periphery integral with the base which serve to stabilize the device.

The rod 8 and ball thereon is turnable on pins I4 the ends of which lie in apertures in opposite side walls 6. The pins are held in position by means of upturned edges engaging the outer ends of the pins thereby preventing displacement thereof in normal use of the device. The inner ends of the pins extend within lateral openings in the sides of rotatable bushing H on bolt 5, said pins being arranged upon opposite sides of said bushing.

It is believed obvious from the foregoing description that the various features and objects of the invention are attained by the character and relationship of parts as hereinbefore described and claimed and shown in the drawing.

Having thus briefly described my invention, its utility and mode of operation, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A tilting rotatable head comprising an upright standard; a bolt secured upon the top of and extending upwardly from said standard, an upright cylindrical bushing rotatably journaled upon said bolt, oppositely extending horizontal pins secured to the outside of and projecting laterally from said bushing, a hollow substantially rectangular support positioned over said bolt and bushing and having lateral openings loosely to receive the outer ends of said pins providing a pivotal mounting for said support on a horizontal axis, and a horizontally arranged rod centrally secured to said support whereby said rod may be rotated upon horizontal and vertical axes.

LEO W. SALMI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,862,044 White June 7, 1932 1,919,554 Howell July 25, 1933 1,976,405 LeWitt Oct. 9, 1934 2,261,426 Willcox Nov. 4, 1941 2,463,648 Schultz Mar. 8, 1949 

